Page 9 of Spotlight Hearts

Min-ho shoots him a look but stays quiet, resetting his position.

Steven waves us off. “Channel that energy. Again! From the top.”

We run it five more times. Each one amps the tension—Luca’s pull gets more possessive, his grip lingering a beat longer. The arch of my back deepens, but I hate how my body starts anticipating his touch, muscles tensing in advance. By the fourth run, sweat’s beading on my forehead, and not just from the movement. Luca’s breath ghosts my ear on the hold, hot and uneven.

“Perfect tension there,” Steven says after the sixth. “That’s the spark we need. Okay, moving on—the sucker bit. This goes in the closer, right before the final chorus drop. Luca, you unwrap it during your solo line. Hold the stem in your teeth once your part is done, facing Kai. Kai, you’ll lean in slowly and take the candy with your mouth. Eyes locked the whole time. Make it teasing. Seductive. Fans will eat it up.”

Luca groans dramatically, pulling a prop sucker from the bag Steven hands him. “Great. Cavities incoming. You sure this isn’t just an excuse to rot our teeth, Steven?”

Steven chuckles. “Blame Harry. Now positions—Luca fronting the crowd this time, Kai angled toward him. Music!”

The track restarts. Michael and Min-ho hit their flanking moves, building the hype.

Luca unwraps the sucker mid-step, popping it into his mouth for a quick lick before clamping the stem between his teeth. He turns to me, eyes gleaming with that cocky challenge. It screams, Are you going to take it after I sucked on it?

I step in. Lean forward. Our faces are inches apart. I wrap my lips around the candy, pulling it into my mouth with a slow suck.

The fake cherry flavor bursts on my tongue. But it’s his stare that hits harder—intense, unblinking. He yanks it back playfully on the first try. I grab his wrist, pull it free.

“Too slow,” he mutters under the music.

“Too annoying,” I fire back.

Steven calls cut. “More eye contact! Drag it out. Again!”

We repeat. Over and over. Luca’s jokes get snarkier—“Watch the teeth, Jung, wouldn’t want to chip that perfect smile.” Mine colder—“Bite down harder next time, maybe it’ll shut you up.”

Michael eggs us on between takes, Min-ho offering quiet tips like “Breathe through it” when I look ready to snap.

Steven pauses the track mid-drop, frowning at the last run-through. “Wait. We’ve got the energy, but the roles feel off. Luca’s too dominant in the pull already—let’s flip the sucker beat for better contrast. Kai, you unwrap it. You hold the stem in your teeth. Luca leans in and takes it. That way the power shifts back to him at the end of the closer. Fans love the tease of who’s in control.”

Luca raises an eyebrow, clearly amused. “Oh, now I get to be the one stealing candy from your mouth? This just keeps getting better.”

I shoot him a flat look. “Thrilled for you.”

Steven doesn’t give us time to argue. “Reset. Kai starts with the unwrap on your solo line in the bridge. Take your time—make it sensual. Luca, you come in close, eyes locked, then take it with your mouth. Drag the moment. Sell the anticipation.”

Michael whistles low from his spot. “This is escalating quickly. I’m here for it.”

Min-ho just adjusts his stance, though, I catch the tiniest twitch at the corner of his mouth.

The track restarts. I fall into my mark, pulling the sucker from my pocket during the vocal swell. I unwrap it slowly—fingers peeling the waxy paper off as if I have all the time in the world. I pop the candy into my mouth once, twice—quick licks for show—then clamp the stem between my teeth, turning to face Luca.

He’s already closing the distance, hips rolling through the choreo, that cocky half-smile in place. Our bodies align center stage. Michael and Min-ho circle wider, giving us the spotlight.

Luca stops inches away. His gaze drops to the sucker, then flicks back up to my eyes—challenging, heated for the cameras that aren’t even here yet. He leans in casually. I hold still, jaw locked around the stem, refusing to flinch.

He isn’t wrong about being able to sell it. I bet he could fake sexual attraction with a paper bag.

His lips brush the candy first—soft, teasing—then close around it. The pull is intentional, dragging the sucker free with a slowness that feels obscene even in an empty rehearsal space. His breath fans hot over my lips, close enough that I can smell the cherry of the sucker.

He straightens, sucking once on the stolen candy before flashing that infuriating grin. “Tastes better when it’s already been in your mouth, Jung.”

I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, glaring. “You’re welcome.”

Steven claps. “Yes! That’s the shift we needed. But drag it longer—let the tension build before the take. Again!”

We reset.